Improv and Magic

Today's guest is another true legend in the world of improv, Susan Messing. She’s one of the founding members of The Annoyance Theater, where she has created roles in over thirty original productions including the longest-running musical in Chicago, Co-Ed Prison Sluts.  Susan teaches and performs at the Annoyance Theater and the iO Theater and has also taught improvisational comedy for DePaul University, The University of Chicago and Loyola University.  Her essays have been published in The Second City Almanac of Improvisation and in Charna Halpern's book, Art By Committee.  Susan has also had multiple television and movie appearances, including a role in the film “Let’s Go to Prison”.  We talk a little about that experience and how much she loved it. Susan is known all over for being a strong, unfiltered performer.  She has been a source of inspiration to performers everywhere, including myself.  We had a very honest and fun conversation today, and I’m so excited to share this conversation with all of you!

Today's guest is the amazing Carisa Hendrix, also known by her character Lucy Darling. Carisa is an award winning magician, circus stunt performer and fire eater.  She was awarded Stage Magician of the Year twice at the world famous Magic Castle, she was a recipient of the Carlton Award from the Magic Circle in the UK, and also received Magical Valentine’s Magician of the Year award from Vanish Magic Magazine and Remarkable Magic.  And those are just a few of the many awards she’s received over the years. She is also in the Guinness Book of World Records for her fire-eating stunt “Longest Torch Teething”, and for 24 fire torches ignited using electricity through the human body. Carisa has appeared on the cover of various prominent magic magazines such as Genii, Vanish Magazine, and Penguin Monthly, and has also been on many well-known television shows such as Masters of Illusion and Penn & Teller: Fool Us. Find out more about Carisa Hendrix by visiting her website carisahendrix.com, and follow her YouTube channel to watch her amazing performances.

My guest today is a very talented and passionate performer, Nelson Velazquez. Nelson Velazquez performs non-stop at venues and festivals all over the country. His most popular shows include Los Improviachis, the world's only improvised Mariachi bank, and The Grid, an online improv comedy show. He is also the founder of Improductions LLC, which is focused to push do-it-yourself productions in the Chicagoland area. Nelson Velazquez also teaches improv at the world famous Second City. We have a great conversation about how he got into improv, and his passion for sharing his Latin heritage in his performances. Learn more about his company Improductions LLC by visiting improductionsllc.com, and Los Improviachis at losimproviachis.com.

Today's guest is my improv hero, David Razowsky. Dave has performed in 10 revues at Chicago's Second City performing with the likes of Steve Carell, Stephen Colbert, Amy Sedaris, and Rachel Dratch. He also served as Artistic Director of The Second City Hollywood, and has conducted countless worldwide workshops and performances. Dave's approach to improv is simple: Your present awareness is the only thing you need to create compelling, smart, truthful, and surprising scenes. Period. No games, no preconceived premises, no ideas, no ego. All that matters is now. Dave also did a TEDx Talk which he titled “Life: The Product is the Process". This year, he released his long awaited book titled "A Subversive's Guide to Improvisation: Moving Beyond Yes, And", which is currently available on paperback at Amazon.com. This man has been a huge source of inspiration to me, mainly because his methodology reiterates what I firmly believe: Improv is Acting. Find out more about David Razowsky at his website, davidrazowsky.com.

My guests today are David Hepburn and Alex Taylor, and together, they are Cuzzins! David and Alex are actually cousins in real life, and in their duo show they provide comical group therapy to the audience and act out potential solutions…or at least what they would do!  Cuzzins has been performed in multiple venues and improv festivals around the country, and audiences everywhere have been raving about this amazing show. In this conversation, we share a lot of deep stuff and also laugh a whole lot.   Be prepared to adjust your volume, because many times we burst out in a lot of insane laughter!  I love and appreciate these guys so much, and I hope you’ll appreciate them too!

Today's guest is regarded as one of the best teachers of improvisation in America today, the one and only Joe Bill! He is one of the founding members of Annoyance Theater in Chicago, he was the Director of Corporate Training at iO, and a Teacher & Guest Artist in Residence at Second City.  Joe performs and teaches all over the world, and has been an inspiration to improv actors for so many years.  He’s also one half of the show Bassprov, an improv show with two guys fishing, which he performs with Mark Sutton.  He's a true gentleman, an outstanding performer, an influential teacher, and also a proud cancer survior. Learn more about Joe Bill at his website integratedimprovisation.com to learn about Joe, and how you can contact him for improv workshops for actors and business, in-person or virtually.

Today's guest is fellow actor, instructor, and director KC Korge. KC and I perform regularly at Just The Funny in Miami, Florida. There’s so much I can say about this incredible woman!  She’s very talented, incredibly funny, super intelligent, very professional, extra kind…what more can I say?  We got to sit down and talk about KC’s life, how she dealt with shyness in the beginning, and how she continues to grow and develop herself as a performer and an instructor.  And at some point...a phone rings! For tickets and information on Just The Funny, visit justthefunny.com. Hope you enjoy the episode!

Today's guest is fellow improvisor and good friend Kathleen Kenny. She's an accomplished actor who performs and teaches at Bob Carter's Actor’s Workshop and Repertory Company in West Palm Beach, Florida, as well as at Gold Coast Down Syndrome Organization in Boca Raton, Florida. She's one of the best people I've seen perform, and a true believer of improv being inclusive and for everyone. Learn more about Bob Carter's Actor’s Workshop and Repertory Company by visiting actorsrep.org to find out about upcoming performances, classes and workshops.

My guests today are the incredible team of Tara DeFrancisco and Rance Rizzutto. They are the stars of their own duo musical improv show called Here The Musical, which has been performed in 24 countries around the world. They own and operate The Nest Theater in Columbus, Ohio, and they run the Improv Retreat since 2012. These two never cease to inspire me, and I hope they inspire you as well! To learn more about Tara and Rance, The Nest Theatre, and Here The Musical, visit their website nesttheatre.com. To learn more about The Improv Retreat and how to register, visit theimprovretreat.com.

My guest today is an amazing man who’s one of the most joyfully people you’ll ever meet.  He’s my friend, former student and fellow improviser Johnathan Freudman.  We get into a lot of deep stuff here.  Johnathan shares very openly about growing up in Venezuela, how he went back and forth between acting on television, and he shares a lot about how improv really made an impact on him.  Johnathan was also a cast member on the TV show Club 57 on Nickelodeon.  I loved every minute of this conversation, and I hope you will too!